10 Things You Should Throw Out Right Now

Nothing like the promise of a new year! While you’re still feeling motivated to tackle every resolution on your list, start by purging unnecessary stuff that not only takes up space and leads to clutter, but also seriously challenges that amazing peace of mind that comes from organized living. We asked professional organizers for their tips on what to toss right away, and here are their top 10.

1. Unworn clothes
If you’re holding onto stuff in case it comes back in style one day, you’re squandering closet space and the ease of navigating a clutter-free wardrobe. “Closets are a major cluttering source. If you haven’t worn something in the past 12 to 18 months, you no longer need it,” says Donna David of Donna David & Co. Donate your clothes to a great cause, or try reselling them online.

2. Unnecessary paperwork
Sure, you need to hold on to some paperwork for an extended period of time, like tax-related materials. But beyond that, you may be storing an unnecessary number of useless hard copies out of fear of throwing away something important. David advises keeping only the prior month’s bill for a given account, for instance, “since all information is available online. I recommend shredding the rest.”

3. Office supplies
If your desk is filled with dried-out pens and White-Out bottles, you should know that those things are never ever coming back from the dead. (But you already knew that.) Do yourself a favor and dump those into the trash, and while you’re at it, go ahead and “get rid of office supplies that haven’t been utilized in a year,” says David. “Chances are you don’t need them.”

4. Old electronics
Unused gadgets — not to mention the associated tangle of cords –are just taking up space, not to mention causing confusion as to what goes with what. “Oftentimes, we keep cables and wire to equipment we don’t even own anymore,” says Cyndi Seidler of HandyGirl Organizers, and the new year is a perfect time to ditch it.

5. Unmatched items
This goes for socks that have lost their pairing partner, pot lids missing pots, plastic storage lids without their matching storage containers (or vice versa), and bed linens that don’t belong to a set. “Do people really need more than two sets of bed sheets and loads of blankets or towels anyway?” says Seidler.

6. Expired kitchen items
Seidler reminds us that pantry items like vitamins and supplements have expiration dates — check them and ditch anything past its prime. Further, purge expired herbs and spices — which probably had time to go bad since you never really used them anyway.

7. Old makeup and nail polishes
We get it. We’re sentimental about everything including makeup. (Hello, we bought that lipstick for our wedding!) But keeping makeup for too long not only leads to clutter, but also can be a hazard. Makeup does expire, Seidler says.

8. Some of your kids’ stuff
Don’t freak out: We’re not suggesting you throw out all of your kids’ artwork wholesale. It’s just that saving every single piece forever isn’t practical — and it’s not even the goal. “As precious as your children’s arts and crafts projects are, consider saving only the very special pieces for posterity,” says Linda Rosen of Linda Rosen Interiors. Kids’ art is whimsical and fun when framed and hung in a playroom or hallway, but multiple boxes of it stored in closets will only collect dust and take up valuable space.”

9. Books
If you’ve made the swap and now do your reading on a Kindle or tablet, you may have tons of books you’d never even consider opening. But even if you don’t have a device, consider ditching books you’ve already read. “Sort through your favorite books, then donate the rest to your local library, charity or shelter,” says Rosen. “The chance that you’ll read those books again are slim to none, so give someone else the pleasure of a good read.”

10. Garage clutter
You know that building behind your house where tons of things go in, but nothing ever comes out? Yeah, make this the year you change that. “This is not an area most people enjoy sorting through, but you will most likely find a jumble of old electronic equipment, cords and cables, gadgets and countless other items,” Rosen says. “Only keep what you know you will use. Then toss the rest.”